Better Regulation Commission

The Better Regulation Commission is as non-departmental public body of the British government, independent of any government department but under the oversight of Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Its role, according to its Terms of Reference is "To advise the Government on action to reduce unnecessary regulatory and administrative burdens, and ensure that regulation and its enforcement are proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted". [The [http://www.brc.gov.uk/about_us/ about us] page from the commission's website]

"Better regulation" has been a theme of government action in the United Kingdom since the establishment of an advisory Better Regulation Task Force in 1997. The task force was replaced by a permanent body, the Better Regulation Commission, on January 1 2006 and the Government says it is committed to implementing its recommendations.

The task force has estimated the total cost of regulation to the UK economy at 10-12% of GDP, or £100 billion, taking into account the related policy work. ["Better regulation - from design to delivery (annual report) 2005", page 2]

The framework for action in the UK now includes principles, regulatory impact assessments, simplification plans, and post-implementation reviews. ["Better regulation - from design to delivery (annual report) 2005", page 3]

The UK principles of better regulation

Five principles were identified by the Better Regulation Task Force in 1997 as the basic tests of whether any regulation is fit for purpose. [Reproduced in "Better regulation - from design to delivery (annual report) 2005", pages 26-27]

* "Proportionality" Regulators should intervene only when necessary. Remedies should be appropriate to the risk posed, and costs identified and minimised.
* "Accountability" Regulators should be able to justify decisions and be subject to public scrutiny.
* "Consistency" Government rules and standards must be joined up and implemented fairly.
* "Transparency" Regulators should be open, and keep regulations simple and user-friendly.
* "Targeting" Regulation should be focused on the problem and minimise side effects.

New legislation, a Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill, has been introduced [Bill 111, Session 2005-06] in 2006 to establish statutory principles of good regulation based on the work of the task force. The law will oblige regulatory bodies to have regard to the principles and a code of practice.

External links

* [http://www.brc.gov.uk/ Better Regulation Commission]

Notes